Green project oversight lacking, audit claims

A grey to green sign is seen at a rain garden near a small housing subdivision on Washington Avenue on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 in Renssealer, N.Y. The rain garden is meant to catch and hold rainwater, so it does not flow directly into the sewers. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union) less

A grey to green sign is seen at a rain garden near a small housing subdivision on Washington Avenue on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 in Renssealer, N.Y. The rain garden is meant to catch and hold rainwater, so it does ... more

A grey to green sign is seen at a rain garden near a small housing subdivision on Washington Avenue on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 in Renssealer, N.Y. The rain garden is meant to catch and hold rainwater, so it does not flow directly into the sewers. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union) less

A grey to green sign is seen at a rain garden near a small housing subdivision on Washington Avenue on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 in Renssealer, N.Y. The rain garden is meant to catch and hold rainwater, so it does ... more

The state should do a better job tracking state-funded environmental projects like those in Albany and Rensselaer meant to better manage rains and protect local rivers, according to an audit from state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

The report examined the Green Innovation Grant Program, which started in 2009 to subsidize so-called "green" drainage systems, which are meant to recharge more water back into the ground to lessen strain on sewage systems that ultimately drain into local rivers.

Such designs can include permeable pavement, meant to allow water to drain through rather than run off; rain garden retention areas to collect water so it can slowly absorb into the ground; the planting of more street trees; and the restoration of streams to the surface that had been confined to underground pipes.

DiNapoli's report examined 167 projects across the state funded by the state Environmental Facilities Corp. at a cost of $135 million, for an average project cost of more than $800,000. The program can pay for up to 90 percent of the cost of a project.

It found examples of untimely oversight during construction, inconsistent maintenance on some completed projects, and spotty measurements to determine what benefits that projects are delivering. "The EFC has to do better to make sure state dollars are being used as intended and projects are successful," said DiNapoli.

In a May letter to DiNapoli's office responding to the audit, an EFC official said that measurements of project effectiveness are not legally required and can cost more to obtain than they are worth.

Measurements are "only cost-effective when meaningful results can be obtained," wrote Brian Hahn, EFC manager of green policy, planning and infrastructure. He added that the agency is "currently evaluating its post-construction monitoring procedures."

The comptroller's report included an $850,000 project in Rensselaer to improve stormwater drainage along Washington Avenue And Columbia Turnpike using permeable pavement, more street trees, and other collection features, to reduce rain from flowing into the city's aging sewer system.

Rensselaer officials have not measured how much water this 2012 project has actually diverted, something promised when they applied for state funds, according to the report. "Although project officials have expressed to us that the project is doing what it was intended, they have not measured it," according to the audit.

Rensselaer has "its own inventory and maintenance program," said city Planning Director Charles Moor. He said the city Public Works Department will maintain the project.

EFC found "no instances of critical maintenance issues" at any of the project sites checked by DiNapoli staffers, Hahn also wrote in his letter to the comptroller.

This shows that the program is "performing at a reasonable level," he wrote, although there is "always room for improvement."

On Tuesday, the EFC released a statement that all projects met "the state's strict design requirements to be eligible for funding and undergo extensive and routine on-site monitoring and inspection."

DiNapoli's audit also faulted a $450,000 state-funded project in Albany to expand the overtaxed Beaver Creek sewer system, which includes an area around Elberon Place, Hansen Alley and Ryckman Alley that has been historically prone to flash flooding.

Part of that included creation of a wetland to hold rainwater and keep it from overwhelming the sewer system, which ultimately is discharged into the Hudson River.

During storms, the sewer system cannot handle the increased liquid, which then is discharged as a mix of untreated sewage and rainwater, which is called a combined sewer overflow (CSO). Sewage carries bacteria that are a health threat.

The Albany Water Board had no system in place to measure how much less bacteria are being carried into the river since the project was completed in 2015.

"Bacteria measurement was not an element in our project," said city Water Commissioner Joe Coffey. "Our project is working ... we are very proud of it."